What Is Juneteenth And How Are Americans Commemorating It?

June 19, also known as Juneteenth, marks the official end of slavery in the United States. While President Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it wasn't until Union troops marched into Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 that the final slaves were finally declared free.

"The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor," Union Major-General Gordon Granger proclaimed.

The following year, the first official celebrations of Juneteenth were held in Texas, and over the years, the tradition spread to other states.

"Texans celebrated Juneteenth beginning in 1866, with community-centric events, such as parades, cookouts, prayer gatherings, historical and cultural readings, and musical performances. Over time, communities have developed their own traditions," a report about Juneteenth compiled by the Congressional Research Service said.

It took until 1980 for Texas to make Juneteenth an official holiday, and many other states followed suit. Now, 47 states and Washington D.C. have made Juneteenth an official holiday.

While Juneteenth is not a federal holiday, Senator John Cornyn said he will introduce legislation to make it one.

The recent protests against racism and police brutality in the wake of the death of George Floyd have brought Juneteenth into the spotlight. Many people are learning about the holiday for the first time.

Usually, Juneteenth events are jubilant celebrations marking the end of slavery.

"It's a celebration, it's not solemn, it's filled with joy and pageantry. It's not a funeral, so people have cookouts and those kinds of things," Professor Noliwe Rooks, Ph.D., director of American studies and professor of Africana studies at Cornell University, told the New York Post. "You'll see people with crowns on their head, and they're Miss Juneteenth, and they've been voted on and crowned… people have carnival-like atmospheres, block parties, street vendors, it's very much a celebration."

The events this year are expected to have a more somber tone, as people grapple with continued problems of racism and police brutality.

"In the U.S. at least, there's a real grappling with what it meant and it what it continues to mean that so much of the economy in the U.S. during a particular period of time was based on the enslavement of human beings and not acknowledging the humanity and calling us property that allowed slavery to flourish," Rooks said. "And so what joins those two moments [of Juneteenth and nationwide protests] in my mind at least is both at its center, at its core, is a call for the recognition of black people as human beings whose lives matter."

Numerous companies are also getting involved and have decided to give employees a paid day off to mark Juneteenth. Those companies include Nike, Twitter, Mastercard, Adobe, Postmates, Target, and Ben & Jerry's.

Photo: Getty Images